Obama

Youngstown, Ohio

Saving America's Small Cities

Small cities are an asset to the country, so politicians and thinkers on the left and right would do well to stop calling for their inhabitants to flee, Henry Garbar argues in Slate.

February 7, 2018 - Slate

Coal Mining

As Trump Presidency Looms, Department of Interior Calls to Modernize Coal Program on Federal Land

The Obama Administration's Department of the Interior released their report on coal mining on federal lands just days before the Trump team takes office.

January 18, 2017 - The New York Times

A SEPTA R5 commuter train heading for Doylestown, Pennsylvania from Lansdale station.

Obama Intervenes On Philly Rail Strike

President Obama signs executive order to end SEPTA transit strike, establishes emergency labor mediation board in response to Governor Corbett's request.

June 16, 2014 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Reaching the Limits of Passionate Defense: Time to Turn Back

Ben Brown confronts the politics of NO and finds -- spoiler alert(!) -- "to score, you need to shoot, and to shoot, you need the puck." Welcome to the waning days of Passionate D.

December 22, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Vacancies Leave Obama's Environmental Agenda Unclear

With yesterday's announcement that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will soon step down, the three top environmental posts in the federal government are waiting to be filled. The vacancies are further muddling the administration's second term agenda.

January 17, 2013 - The Washington Post

Two Cheers for Romney

The conventional wisdom among Americans who spend lots of time thinking about public transit is that four more years of Obama will be good news, and the election of the Romney-Ryan ticket would be bad.  I have to admit that this belief is by no means completely irrational: after all, President Romney will be much less likely than President Obama to veto a transportation bill passed by a Republican Congress, and might propose a mere austere budget than President Obama.   Nevertheless, I think there are good reasons to believe otherwise. 

October 11, 2012 - Michael Lewyn

Water Infrastructure Takes Center Stage at House and Senate Hearings

Jason Jordan reports on House and Senate subcommittee hearings this week that focused on water infrastructure concerns and a proposed new program to better address funding and financing options.

March 2, 2012 - APA

Obama Taps Into Strategic Oil Reserve

With the flow of Libyan oil at a stalemate, the President ordered the release of 60 million barrels over the next 30 days to keep the world supply stable and gas prices from increasing.

June 26, 2011 - The New York Times

John McCain for President (?)

My sense is that most new urbanists and smart growth advocates were happy to see Barack Obama elected President two years ago.  While John McCain opposed Amtrak and had not been overly supportive of local public transit, Obama created an Administration full of advocates for transit and urbanism, and high-speed rail is one of his Administration's signature programs.  So the Obama Administration will slow sprawl, and will make our cities more transit-oriented, prosperous and walkable.   Right? 

February 13, 2011 - Michael Lewyn

Trains So Fast They'll Make Mama Proud

To hear my mother tell it, I gave Joe Biden the idea for high-speed rail. Charitable and glowing, yes, but isn’t that what mothers are for?  All the same, I can’t help but glow a bit anyway when I think about how far we’ve come as a country in embracing high-speed rail. 

February 9, 2011 - Jeffrey Barg

Campaign Fundraising Holds City Hostage

I wasn't even in Los Angeles yesterday, and for once I'm glad. Everything from my Facebook feed to the morning headlines told me that traffic on the Westside yesterday afternoon was so awful that only a parade of obscenities accompanied by words like "cluster" and "show" would have sufficed to describe it. Hardened locals were driven nearly to tears behind the wheels of their unmoving cars.  The president was in town.

August 17, 2010 - Josh Stephens

California HSR Gets $2.25 Billion Boost

A huge boost for the CA High Speed Rail project will result from an injection of $2.25 billion from President Obama's $8 billion HSR stimulus funds, twice as much as any other project.

January 28, 2010 - Mercury News

DC Goes NU

New Urban News looks at the growing influence of New Urbanists and their ideas in Washington, from the appointment of former CNU director Shelley Poticha to a HUD position to the new Livable Communities Act proposed by Sen. Christopher Dodd.

September 17, 2009 - New Urban News

Pittsburgh Preps for its Debut on the World Stage

Why the decision to host the next G-20 summit in Steel City is a good one.

September 8, 2009 - Forbes.com

Allocate High Speed Rail Full $4 Billion, Argues NYT

In this editorial, the New York Times urges the Senate not to reduce the House's high speed rail budget allocation of $4 billion to $1.4 billion. Though President Obama is a prominent supporter of HSR, he supports delaying the transportation bill.

August 3, 2009 - The New York Times - Opinion

A Cost-Benefit Analysis for High Speed Rail

In the first of a series of posts to the NYTimes' Economix Blog, Edward Glaeser explores the value of high-speed rail in the US.

July 29, 2009 - Economix Blog: NYTimes

Obama Trumpets High-Speed Rail

Quoting Daniel Burnham, Obama announced that America should "make no little plans" as he affirmed his administration's commitment to building high-speed rail across the nation. Ten corridors were highlighted.

April 16, 2009 - Washington Post

Obama Names Director of Urban Affairs

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion has been appointed to the post, which The White House says is tasked with "develop(ing) a strategy for metropolitan America."

February 19, 2009 - Sacramento Bee

Starchitecture is Dead

Columnist Blair Kamin says that the Obama presidency puts a nail in the coffin of starchitecture, and introduces an age of sustainable buildings and an emphasis on infrastructure.

January 27, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

The Frontier in American Politics

With due respect to Frederick Jackson Turner, the American frontier closes on Tuesday.  This time, for good.

November 2, 2008 - Josh Stephens

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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